Sense of humor

Steele had a great experience of the town and he saw the development of the city life. He became aware of the vanity, ignorance and selfishness which reined the town. He had a keen insight into human nature and knew the dangers of false ideals. Which he tried to presents his essays for the reader’s .Steele and Addison addressed themselves to the society in the middle classes. in 18th century the people wants to be educated and try to improve their manner but this desire loose their morality and they became fashionable .Their essays shows the best picture of the new social life of England.

Sense of humor……they both are the social reformer. There is a conflict and tension of the society which they wrote in. and also conflict between rural and urban and also there is a political and social tension. Though they are the social reformer so they want to change their society through their writing and by using their weapon as a satire and irony at his disposal. They show the true satire and that should be general and never hurt the person but attack the vice or folly. They indirectly humor or satire their character.

Characterization…the club they made their different characters from different section of the society. Each members of the club are from particular class or way of life in the English society of the time .their characters are shows in realistic manner and which meant to be social types. Addison’s essays deal with a variety of subjects, which are topical matters, fashions, gambling, swearing, manners, etc. Anyway, spectator that he was, with a desire to reform the society; he has presented in his essays a vivid picture of the society of the times. He intended to reform the people by holding up a picture of that society and by ridiculing its follies and vices. Addison has the weapons of satire and irony at his disposal. And through these weapons he has at first given the surface picture of the society and then attacked them and finally, he wanted to abolish them.

Humor is the most effective in the de coverly papers. Every Sunday, even before sermon or after the bell rings a country fellow finds it a good chance to meet others and he gets used to discuss whole parish politics in the churchyard. Addison used a symbol of goodness and mercy, who is his imaginary friend Sir Roger, the church man who does his best to teach people to be regular and attracts them to their religion by his well behaviors with them by giving every one of them means to pray easily and by employing itinerant singers around the country for the purpose of instructing them rightly in the tunes of psalms. Addison points to Sir Roger as a friend to give a sense of truth to this character. He wants to satire people who care about the outer look of things by Sir Roger who cares not only about the inside of his church and makes it beautiful, but also buys things to church at his own expense. Some people might think this point is just to show how Sir Roger is religious. But in fact this is not the theme.

It is the aim of Sir Roger who wants people to come regularly to church by making it very beautiful and attractive, and then to reach his aim of making people religious and feel the value of their selves. Sir roger is an eccentric person the landlord Sir Roger, the kind man who is represented as a funny person who wants to ensure that every one is awake during sermon, and does odd things like standing up when every body else is upon their knees, to count the congregation, Addison’s aim is not to make us laugh or respect this religious man, but to let us be awake and return to God to be believers. This type of satire, which is called the mocking satire, was commonly in use at this age “the age of reason”.

As soon as the sermon is finished nobody presume to stir till Sir Roger is gone out of the church, This show People’s respect to Sir Roger as a religious man who gives a lot, not to religion, because they don’t have any ethical morals to religion, they were not polite enough. Sir Roger knows that it is the question of respecting him so he tries to draw people’s attention to their religion; he uses many ways for this elevated purpose like re promenading the absent people secretly.

Back to Addison, who wants people to get rid of their vices by returning to God; Addison added the chaplain’s character to serve his purpose here, which is about the role of Sir Roger. The chaplain said “upon a catechizing day, when Sir Roger has been pleased with a boy that answers well, he has ordered a bible to be given him next day for his encouragement and something accompanies it with a flitch of bacon to his mother”. Very important issue is mentioned here, that is the role of mothers in building up a good religious society.

Finally, his famous essay “Sir Roger at Church” aims at a reform in the attendance at church.addison desires peaceful relation between the squire and the parson in a village to ensure good attendance at church and improvement of the faith of people. According to him, a harmonious relationship between the squire and the parson help in the development of morality and steadfast religious faith. He gives the example of Sir Roger as the ideal to be followed. He says,

“Feuds of this nature, though too frequent in the country, are very fatal to the ordinary people; who are so used to be dazzled with riches, that they pay as much deference to the understanding of a man of an estate, as of a man of learning; and are very hardly brought to regard any truth, how important so ever it may be, that is preached to them, when they know there are several men of five hundred a year who do not believe it.”

Steele is created the spectator club and in this club who joined as a member they all has some eccentricity and most of them have unfullfillment desire. As it appears the humorous attitude from them.

In the spectators club sir roger is an ancient descent. he has some eccentric quality. He is a man of singular and he has a good sense. So people love him very much. And he remains bachelor because he was rejected by a young widow woman before fall in love he was the most fashionable man. But now he wears a coat and doublet of old fashion ate cut. it proves that time people were so fashionable and they have a show off tendency. But now after shocked by his beloved he became changed. As that he is very caring of the church people.

The templar is also a bachelor and he was a lawyer and he had been made to join by his stubborn father. he has interested in literature. he studied the emotion and passion but it is the humor that he like to study the passion themselves rather than the deputes coming out of them.

Another member of the club who is a merchant named sir Andrew freep port. He believes that man can make his own fortune by hard work and which is also applicable for the nation. Individual success can help the national progress. In that century he presents the industrialization.

The member of the spectator club is captain sentry. he shows that if one want to get promotion he should just show off his merits and hard work is not acceptable. he shows that how the army were corrupted in 18th century .

Next person is young man will honey comb. he always try to impress the lady and also like to talk about fashions. This is ironically presents that in that time people were very fashionable and they have a show off tendency.

In sir roger at home here the spectator observer roger and his family. sir roger is always careful for his servants. And also they love him so much that they also take care of Sir Rogers’s guest. He is a good master and it is humorous that he is excessively good. and another humorous person his Chaplin. sir Rogers lack of learning is also come out as that he felt afraid of being insulted at his own table by the Chaplin.

Over all this discussion it proves the Addison and steels writing style. . Both were the moralist at heart with much the same outlook on the society of their. They satirize the social problems.